About the International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza:
The International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza (ICBSG) is a Palestinian initiative, established in 2009 to mobilize the international community, to take action to end the illegal Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, using all possible legal methods. Its presence is concentrated in the Arab world, some Islamic countries, and several European countries.
It is a founding member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which consists of popular solidarity movements around the world, that work side by side to lift the siege on Gaza, by implementing anti-siege activities, and these activities are subject to the principles of popular action and peaceful resistance. The committee has contributed effectively to all campaigns of the Freedom Flotilla Alliance since its founding until today.
It believes in the principles adopted by the members of the Freedom Flotilla Alliance and its partners from international solidarity organizations. Among them is the rejection of all forms of collective punishment, and the rejection of all forms of racism and discrimination, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. We also believe in universal human rights, freedoms, and equality for all.
Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC):
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is a grassroots people-to-people solidarity movement composed of campaigns and initiatives from different parts of the world, working together to end the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza.
Our goals are:
- To break Israel’s more than 15-year illegal and inhumane blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has not only created an ongoing humanitarian crisis but has deprived Palestinians in Gaza of their right to health, safety, and freedom of movement, among other fundamental human rights.
- To educate people around the world about the blockade of Gaza, the unlivable conditions it enforces, and the fact that this colossal human suffering is not a natural catastrophe, but created by political and military choices.
- To condemn and publicize the complicity of other governments and global actors in enabling the blockade. Most notably, the US government has underwritten Israel’s violence against Palestinians for decades, funding Israel’s military at the rate of approximately $4 billion every year and using most of its vetos in the UN Security Council in the last three decades to protect Israel from condemnation for its humanitarian crimes and violations of international law.
- To respond to the cry from Palestinians and Palestinian organizations in Gaza for solidarity in breaking the blockade. We want to show the people in Gaza that people and organizations around the world stand for and support their struggle for dignity and freedom.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition came into being in 2010 and guides its work under the explicit goals and plans of the people in Gaza. Our direct action missions support the dignity and humanity of Palestinians, working with civil society partners, rather than any party, faction, or government. The principles of non-violence and non-violent resistance always govern our actions against the blockade.
We respect everyone’s human rights regardless of race, gender, tribe, religion, ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, or language. Because we respect everyone’s human rights, we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their quest for freedom, equality, and human rights.
The FFC’s member organizations include:
- International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza – ICBSG
- IHH / Mavi Marmara Freedom and Solidarity Association [Turkey]
- Ship to Gaza Sweden
- Palestine Solidarity Alliance [South Africa]
- Rumbo a Gaza [Spain]
- Humanitarian Care Malaysia Berhad (MyCARE)
- Ship to Gaza Norway
- US Boat to Gaza
- Canadian boat to Gaza
- Kia Ora Gaza [New Zealand / Aotearoa]
- The Greek campaign to break the siege on Gaza – (ineffective)
- Freedom Flotilla – Italy (inactive)
- The European campaign to break the siege (ineffective)
- Platform of NGOs for Palestine [France] (ineffective)
Our partners in Gaza include:
- Union of Agricultural Work Committees – represents Palestinian fishers and farmers and empowers their steadfastness and sovereignty, within a sustainable community-based, liberational developmental framework.
- We are Not Numbers – aspiring and inspiring young Palestinian journalists telling the human stories behind the numbers in the news about the blockade.
There is extensive information about previous Freedom Flotillas here. Previous Freedom Flotilla missions have included: Ship to Gaza Greece, the European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza, and Miles of Smiles.
